Homemade Peppermint Patties
Cute, delicious, and perfect for the holidays, these homemade peppermint patties are so easy to make (video tutorial included in post!).
Homemade peppermint patties have been on my bucket list of things to make for years.
They are my mom’s favorite treat. (I’m pretty sure she keeps them in the freezer because apparently frozen peppermint patties are delightful and are harder to find for unsuspecting treat-seeking souls)
Turns out, making homemade peppermint patties is actually pretty darn easy.
The peppermint dough for the filling is wonderfully easy to work with and if you have a spare fork and butter knife handy, the dipping is a breeze, too.
I kept these refrigerated, as the recipe states, and even though it makes a bazillion, after gifting some to nether parts of our neighborhood, we had no trouble devouring the rest.
The white center is creamy and sweet and the rich dark chocolate cuts the minty mintness perfectly. Personally, I preferred the ones not topped with crushed mint candies but I’ll leave that up to you (the sprinkle of candy definitely helps out the pretty factor).
How to Package Homemade Peppermint Patties
To package these, I stuff a square of parchment into the bottom and up the sides of a cute tin bucket, fill it up with peppermint patties and tie the handle with a bit of twine.
I have found the tin buckets at Hobby Lobby, Oriental Trading has them for about $9/dozen and Amazon has a variety to offer also.
If you don’t want to use tin buckets, these little peppermint patties would do just fine in a treat bag (like the ones used for the caramel popcorn).
Homemade Peppermint Patty FAQ’s
They will keep about a week well-covered in the refrigerator (maybe a bit longer, although they taste the best/freshest within a week in my opinion). The peppermint patties can be frozen for longer – probably a month or so.
Shortening or another mild flavored, creamy, solid oil.
They are fine at cool room temperature, but keep longer and taste best if they are refrigerated.
The amount of powdered sugar is correct, but make sure you measure with a light hand (if you weigh your ingredients, it will be about 30 ounces). If the measuring cup is packed with dense powdered sugar, it will be too much. Fluff the powdered sugar in the bag/container, scoop in the measuring cup and then level off with a straight edge.
I haven’t tried that but many people in the comments have said they roll the peppermint patty dough into a log before refrigerating and then cut with a serrated knife or dental floss before dipping.
I haven’t tried subbing another ingredient, but you could experiment with honey or another sweet syrup (if it is dark colored, keep in mind it will lessen the bright whiteness of the peppermint patties. For the evaporated milk, you could try using half and half.
One Year Ago: Chocolate Shortbread Fingers
Two Years Ago: Chile Lime Popcorn
Three Years Ago: Root Beer Float Fudge
Homemade Peppermint Patties
Ingredients
- 7 ½ cups (855 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin or refined coconut oil, softened or melted
- ¼ teaspoon food-grade peppermint essential oil or 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (see note)
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
- Crushed peppermint candies for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, milk, corn syrup, coconut oil and peppermint on low speed until combined. Shape the dough into two round circles, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle a liberal amount of powdered sugar on a clean countertop or on a piece of parchment paper. Unwrap one disk of dough and place it on the counter or parchment. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar, too. Roll the peppermint patty dough to about 1/4-inch thick and cut into rounds with about a 1 7/8-inch or similar-sized cutter.
- Reroll the scraps until all of the dough is used. Repeat with second disk of dough. Place the rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes or overnight.
- Melt the chocolate (I use the microwave on 50% power and cook for 1-minute increments, stirring in between; I melt until it is mostly melted but there are still a few small lumps of chocolate – I stir these in until fully melted. This will help to avoid blooming on the set chocolate.)
- Using a fork, dip the frozen patty rounds one-by-one into the chocolate. Tap the handle of the fork on the side of the bowl to drizzle off the excess chocolate, scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl and gently place the dipped patties on parchment-lined baking sheets using a butter knife to gently slide the patty off the fork if needed.
- Sprinkle the dipped patties with crushed mints, if using. Let the chocolate set, about an hour. Store patties in the refrigerator.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Cuisine at Home December 2013 (used coconut oil instead of shortening)
Hi Mel, I made these 2 nights ago and the filling is amazing. I ran into the same problem with dipping as others- when the chocolate is smooth it melts the patties and when it cools it is clumpy. After about 10 I just put the filling back in the freezer to try again another day. I use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips. Any suggestions?
Hey Jessica – what brand of chocolate are you using? I haven’t had that happen so I’m wondering if the brand of chocolate matters (some chocolates melt better than others – I almost always use Ghirardelli chocolate). I know it sounds finicky but it’s also important that the chocolate be in that sweet spot for temperature – not too warm that it melts the patties but not cooled off so that it doesn’t coat well. Sorry these are causing you grief! Let me know if you have other questions or if I can help you…sometimes I think it would be helpful to have a FaceTime lifeline that I can actually see what people are doing. 🙂
DōTERRA essential oils peppermint is food grade. 100% certified pure theraputic grade, and delicious! Check out this link for more thorough information on it and many other food grade oils http://www.mydoterra.com/lorifraser
These turned out delicious but I am having trouble dipping them – I watched your video on dipping things in chocolate but mine are not working too well! It seems like maybe the chocolate is too thick so it globs up around the patty, but when I heat it back up and get it thinner, it immediately melts the patty. Any suggestions? P.S. I’m new to your blog and I love it! I’m constantly looking for new recipes 🙂
What brand of chocolate are you using – is it chips or bar chocolate?
Hi I live in England and can’t find corn syrup is there an alternative I can use thanks
Hi Kirsty – you might try googling for an alternative – I think I heard once that golden syrup can be used but I’m not sure.
i am speechless. seriously. LUV IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!1,000,000,000,000,0 likes from me!
Have you tried other extracts besides peppermint to make fruit flavored dipped chocolates?
I haven’t tried other extracts but it would probably work well.
Wow!I luv Peppermint!On the other hand I never have that much powdered sugar.Do you think I could find some thing else or just use table sugar?
-Wondering
I think powdered sugar is really important in this recipe – I’m not sure subbing a different type of sugar would work quite as well.
If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can actually blend granulated sugar in a blender to make the granules smaller and very much like powdered sugar. I used this method when I needed super fine sugar for macarons.
Has anyone tried to use Doterra peppermint oil in these?!? I don’t want to buy more from the store if I can use what I already have
Doterra is DEFINITELY perfect for these. Its used for cooking all the time
FAL, I made a batch of these with water in place of the evap milk, and they came out great. I didn’t miss it at all. Bonus, without the milk they are non-perishable — and therefore shelf stable. Win!
These look relatively easy and certainly not much in the way of ingredients to purchase…..we have a family member who cannot consume dairy product….would you kindly suggest a replacement for the evaporated milk that would work as well…thank you in advance.
These look great! Wondering about how critical the milk is, in part because we have one lactose-intolerant person in the family, and in part because I’d love if they could be stored at room temp rather than in the fridge (i.e. for packing as snacks or gifts). Thoughts?
Dan – Another reader commented who used coconut milk and she said they turned out great. Good luck!
Lovely and delicious.
An easier way to shape the patties is to treat the dough like a refrigerator cookie: instead of forming circles to be chilled, make logs of your preferred diameter and after chilling just slice into 1/4″ rounds. No waste (not that the scraps don’t get eaten) 🙂 and less cleanup too!
Does anyone know the nutritional information for these?
Wendy – Sorry, I don’t provide the nutritional info for my recipes. There are some great websites that calculate all of the calories, etc. out there. Good luck!
I would assume that it’s the same nutritional value as York’s, but then again I’m not entirely sure
My dough also turned out kinda crumbly . Should I mix it more?
Heidi and Mistie – if your dough is crumbly, I would suggest very gradually adding drops of water until it comes together.
my dough turned out kind of crumbly… wondering what to do
I made these to hand out for gifts but after trying them I wanted to keep them all for myself! I used dark chocolate chips for some and semisweet for others. Both were great, but we really loved the dark chocolate ones. I also used the size circle cutter you suggested, but I made some smaller ones also…perfectly bite-sized.
These are phenomenal tasting!
Another great recipe from Mel!
First off, these are incredible!! So easy to make and delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I made them twice and they were wonderful. Except this time my dough was extremely sticky… So much that i couldn’t even roll it out. What do you think I could do to fix the dough? I really don’t want to throw it out and start over.
Meg – could you try adding more powdered sugar?
I don’t know why i keep having problems with dough this season but I found it sticky and I wasn’t able to roll out and cut ( added more icing sugar, chilled in fridge) Anyways, although the dough wasn’t as easy as I hoped in the end it all worked out and they were very good. I made all the patties by hand and dipped quickly because the hot chocolate started to melt the dough and make it soft. They were a huge hit in my house and the kids were thrilled that they were homemade.
Made these, loved them!!!
Hi Mel. I just made these and they are fantastic. the recipe was so simple I was really amazed. I rember loving these as a teenager. These were so much nicer. My husband turned his nose up when i told him what I was making but after cutting them out and dipping in dark 70% chocolate he can’t get enough. Hearing my son’s friends say ‘She made these? From scratch?’ was very satisfying. I cut them out and kept them in the freezer on a tray lined with baking paper until I was ready to dip in chocolate. I just dipped the last tray now and am dropping them off as gifts this morning. I have to make another batch my husband said. I got 80 out of them. I measured the correct thickness and used a 2 inch cutter. I didn’t crush the candy on top. Also I found that if there is excess powdered sugar on them the chocolate won’t stick. Thanks for the recipe.
Do you think you could make “magic shell” chocolate or is that just overkill?
Peppermint Patties are my mom’s favorite! Thanks for this recipe; I think I will surprise her and make them. Her birthday is Christmas Eve 🙂
Awesome! I’m definitely going to make a batch and maybe make them heart or star-shaped! I’m going to try substituting brown rice syrup for corn syrup, but honey sounds like a good option too. Thanks, Mel!
they look yummy!
I thought that nothing could top those Andes cupcakes of yours, and now my mind is completely blown. I am obsessed with mint chocolate. cake, bark, ice cream, etc.
I’m trying to come up with something like the pumpkin roll, only chocolate cake roll with a dreamy creamy minty filling. But until I find that, these have been moved up to the top of my gotta-try-this-year list. I don’t care how many dog-walks it will take to undo the calories!
I’ve been making homemade pep. patties for years! I do 9 cups of powdered sugar, 1tsp of pepp. extract and 1 block of cream cheese. roll into balls, flatten, freeze to harden then dip like you do in the chocolate! 🙂
Gasp – Mel – these look so fun and pretty! One of my all-time favorite treats – I must try to make these myself this year!
1st – Thanks for changing the color on the Note section – I can read it! Woo-hoo! 2nd – this week I made your Double Chocolate M&M Cookies w/ chopped York Peppermint Patties instead of M&Ms – you must try! The patties need to be chopped rather small as they just melt as the cookie bakes, but the end result is heavenly. Now I will try them with Homemade Peppermint Patties!
You can substitute canned coconut milk for evaporated milk. Just did that and you can’t taste the coconut milk or oil. These are fabulous and I gag at peppermint desserts. Way to go Mel!!!
Great tip – my dairy allergic child thanks you!
Mel…absolutely LOVE your recipes. Question for this one…evaporated milk really grosses me out! I usually substitute it with cream or half and half. Which do you think would be appropriate for this recipe? Thanks!
Hey Sarah – I think either would sub just fine; personally, I’d probably go with half-and-half.
Peppermint patties are my favorite candy! I will have to try these for the holidays. Thanks!
I’m feeling very inspired to make these peppermint patties and the previous two recipes to give as Christmas gifts. Thanks for the great ideas.
Quick question- (these look amazing, by the way)- if I keep them refrigerated, how do I give them out as gifts? Do they melt together if I put them in a container? And do I tell the giftee to store them in the fridge? Just want to double check before I make these! 🙂
Michelle – they won’t melt out of the fridge unless it’s really hot – I think the recommendation to keep in the fridge is just based on the ingredient list and because they taste a lot better chilled (they aren’t great at room temperature/warm – they need that crisp chilling factor). If you give them as gifts, I would just include a note to store in the refrigerator. They’ll be fine for a bit outside of the fridge as you deliver, etc.
Mmm… peppermint patties… they’re on my recipe bucket list too. 🙂
YUM! These look much easier than I expected. I can’t wait to give them a try.
Pepper mint patties are prob my favorite store bought treat. I adore them! Can I use chocolate chips? Or do I need to get the bakers chocolate? I’m being so good so won’t make these for a while (4 pounds away from goal… Yay!) but I will make these! I prob will use honey instead of corn syrup though! So excited to try these!
Bri – I’m so proud of you. Way to go! I use chocolate chips for melting if they are good quality (like Ghirardelli or Guittard). I haven’t had the greatest luck melting other brands (Nestle and HErshey’s are hit and miss and sieze easily) so I’d recommend baking chocolate for the best melting results if you can’t find those brands of chocolate.
Made these today right after I saw your post! They are so yummy and not as difficult to make as I expected. Mine are not as perfectly shaped as yours, but they will still make my family happy!
Hi Mel, is there any chance that the evaporated milk could be substituted with something else?
These will be perfect for my grandmother. She loves peppermint. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh, and if you can find them add paramount crystals to your chocolate when you melt it. They give the finished chocolate that smooth shiny look. 🙂
I’ve been making those for years as well as whiskey marinated cherry cordials, turtles and english toffee and they are always a hit around Christmas.
Ooohhh! These sound amazing! You’ve just simplified some of my gifting! Thank you Mel for the super-duper ideas!
Hi Mel, can’t wait to try these!
Do I want my coconut oil in oil form or solid form? It is currently in solid form.
Thanks!
Jess – yep, I used it right from solid form (granted, my kitchen is right around 70 degrees so it wasn’t rock hard – kind of room temperature soft).
Those are so cute! They look so perfect! I’ve been looking for a good recipe for peppermint patties, but my husband is allergic to corn syrup. Any ideas? It makes candy a little tricky – storebought or homemade.
Sarah – great question, I actually think honey would make a good substitute. It will change the flavor slightly but should work. Good luck if you try it!
I use brown rice syrup to replace corn syrup!
I made homemade peppermint patties once and they were so good, I couldn’t believe it! When rolling out the mint dough, I was trimming and eating all the scraps!
These look amazing! I, too, have been meaning to make homemade peppermint patties for nearly a year now. So sad. Anyways. How many did this roughly make? If I’m going to gift them, I just need a rough estimate of how many I would get and how many batches I would need to do. Thanks Mel, you rock!
I love making homemade patties! These look great!
These little beauties look amazing. Is there another oil you could use in place of the coconut oil? Btw I live next door to your cousin Rob. Amy introduced me to your site a long time ago and I love it.
Hi Amy, you are so lucky! I’d love to live next to Rob and Amy…tell them hi for me! As for the peppermint patties, you could use shortening in place of the coconut oil.
Did you use bittersweet or semi sweet? Seems like the bittersweet would be better to balance the sweetness of the filling. Do you have a preference?
Momstarr, the first time I used semisweet and they were good but the second time I used bittersweet and I liked them better…but my kids liked the semisweet version best. So it probably boils down to preference but I’m guessing bittersweet would be right down your alley.
I love Peppermint Patties! Sadly, my children don’t, but that just means more for me! Thank you for sharing this homemade version. I love your Mom’s idea of keeping them in the freezer. That will make for cool, chocolate minty deliciousness!